The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-24
A MuCH-usED PRoNOuN.
A Few Observations on the First Per-
son singular-Modesty Not
Characteristic OF Some Peo-
PIE We Meet.

First Person Singular. Inc WRITER rs
serts, and without doubt the assertion
is well grounded. that the letter ''I' is
the boundary of the whole world OF sem
sation and the mirror wherein are re-
Elected all outside phenomena. We
live, and think. aud understand by its
real zation, and through its power of
absorption We get glimpse of the 'l'
OF oshers. 1t is the Alpha and Omega
of all speculation-the soul beacon OF
light in the midst of universal darkness
In it all nature is focused, and all
life represented "a. what the 81
does not know has no existence for
man." What the eye does not see
the heart does not crave" and ''what
the II does not know the mind cannot
accept are truisms. That which
some organisms feel and believe, are
non-existent for others. A person who
has always been blind can have no per-
ception of color, a deaf person no idea OF
harmony. This is the metaphysical as
pect of Il" The 'I' of everyday
life is in some persons the most objec-
tionable sign-post ever set up in the
highway of life. 1t meets one at every
turn and seems TO obstruct the way TO
every other domain. What think and
what do-where | have been and what
have seen, is the string on which is
sounded the everlasting monochord of
egotism; and il never occurs to these
self-contained harpists that others may
weary of the sameness OF their tune.
Nor do they think that anyone has
known aught of which they them
selves have been ignorant until now
They discover things which have been
public property for centuries even to
facts of Greek and Roman history. If
they 90 over TO Paris for the first time
they discover Paris, and give their
neighbors who have lived there for
some years the benefit of their expert
ences in the cafes, and news of the
conduct of the crowds in the streets,
and the queue made at the doors Of the
theaters. II they take up new study
they instruct the eXpert-if they have
adopted new fad they convert the
heirophant-or it may be set forth as
incontrovertibe the superficial reasons
why such and such fact should be ac-
cepted to one who has gone down to
the roots and rejected after profound
examination. These intellectual ego
fists never discriminate. Their 'T'
dominates their judgement and what
they hear and learn. II it strikes their
fancy they hold fast TO. sure that great
Il Il al
that they have no need of caution The
ranks of the superstitious are recruited
from those Of the intellectual cyclists,
and the people who accept as gospel
every folly alloat are those who are
so sure OF themselves that they take no
precautions against laundering. To
be sure. among the swallowers of
quackingducks are the absolutely sim
pie and non-egotistical. But their fault
is folly. not presumption--want Of
proper self-asscrtion not too much ar
rogance.
The writer continues: People who
live in their own ~ are now prone to
consider themselves sighted. now Gag
or to accept rs supreme honor the COM
monest courtises and the smallest
civilities. Everything unusual they
take rs something done in their honor;
and things which have no kind of
reference to themselves they accept as
their assigned homage. This had an
illustration of sort when Cato the
\younger took the demonstrations of re-
spect and greetings made by the
Antiochians rs witnesses borne
to his own deserving. IL was
nothing of the kind. The-what
we should now call--deputation was
waiting for Demetrus, Pompey's freed
man; and Cato went for nothing in
their eyes. We say this was an illus
tration of sort; for Cato the younger
was by no means an cgotist and the
mistake was not unnatural. And, talk
ing of ancient matters, it was Plut-
archs father who first gave that most
useful advice against egotsm in speech
bidding his famous son always say
1--WE went'--''we saw" 1--WE did,
even when his colleague should chance
10 be absent; and never to push forward
that obtrusive 81" which some peo-
pie seem 10 think the note of admiration
of the universe.
"T' has also becomea universal form
Of locution. Young girls who travel
are prone to disdain the modesty of the
collective pronoun "we." and from
their conversation it might be CLEANED
that they spend their lives in going
about the world alone and unattended.
It is not a nice form of speech, but il
belongs TO the intense indivdualism of
the times. Self-assertion is the fashion.
but il will pass away il we will wait in
natience. This sslf-sustained worship